Leather flexing machine



M y 4,1937. E. W'ILSQN 2,079,270

LEATHER FLEXING MACHINE EARLE W/Lso/v //VVENTOR PER ATTORNEY May 4, 1937; E. WILSON LEATHER ELEXING MAQHINE Filed May 1'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MR 5 Wm M MW m mm R A Q Patented May 4, 1937 PAT E T oF lcE 1 r l LEATHER FLEXING' MACHINE Earle Wilson, Chicago, Ill.,".assignor to The American Oak Leather Co.,'Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application May .17, 1935, Serial No. 22,027

3 Claims.

invention relates to an improved leather flexing machine, and has for one of its principal objects the provision of means for satisfactorily imparting a desired flexibility to leather, particularly leather outsoles and taps used on newand repaired shoes of all types.

An important object of the invention is to provide a machine which will produce a proper mellowness or flexibility in sole leather or the like in a minimum'time and with a minimum ex-' penditure of labor and expense, and which, furthermore, may actually produce ,a desired shape or contour in thegflnished product after passing through the machine. a

Another object of the invention is the provision of a, device for flexing leather or the like which shall create the necessary softness of fiber without the tendency to destroy other desirable physical qualities of the stock, as would the production of a loose grain-q The 'machine of this invention bends the,;stock only with the grain, and, therefore, not only softens the sole or tap, but also molds the sameinto desired position to facilitate its later application to a shoe.

Another and still further important object of the invention is to provide a combination of flexing and bending elements for sole leather or the like whi.ch,in addition to creating flexibility by.

bending the piece as desired, will also smooth out the grain and dress up the finish.

O her and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings andiollowing specification. I v

The invention, in a preferred form, is shown in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described. I I

In the drawings: l

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved leather flexing machine of this invention. j

Figure 2 is a vertical elevation of the operating portion of, the machine, looking at the spindle end thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical view from the ball end of the machine.

Figure 4 is a side elevation, looking from the right as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 ofFigure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the: arrows.

Figure 6 is a partial sectional View on the line 6-416 of Figure 4, looking in the direction indicated.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral It indicates generally the base or supporting structure for the leather flexing machine of this invention, the same being provided with a pair of upright supporting walls or the like [2 and 14 respectively between which are'mounted the essential features of the apparatus including a ball or sphere I6 and a spindle or socket 13 adapted to cooperate with the ball in order to flex a piece of leather insertedtherebetween and passed therethrough while these elements are rotating in opposite directions.

Thespindle I8 is mounted on a shaft 20, the shaft itself? being positioned in adjustable bearings 22 spring-pressed into position by means of a helical spring 24. The spring is mounted in a 'r ecess in the wall l2. The tension of the spring 24 may be adjusted by means of a hand wheel or thelike 26 on the outer end of a screwthreaded' shaft 28,,which, inv-turn, is mounted in-an internally threaded sleeve 36 positioned in a corresponding socketin thewall l2. In this way, the operating distance between the ball 16 and the spindle 18 may be effectively adjusted, and the pressure on a piece of leather or the like passing therethrough can be regulated. w j The ball I 6 itself is mounted on'a supporting shaft 32, and this shaft has mounted on the outer end thereof a gear 34, the shaft itself being driven .by a worm gear assembly or the like 36 propelled by a motor or other source of power 38.

The gear 34 in turn drives an idler 40 (Figure 4) this idler, in turn, meshing with another gear 42 which rotates the shaft 56 (Figure 5) upon which is mounted a horizontal roller 54 which, in turn, cooperates with a similar roller 58 both mounted in suitable hearings in the walls or supports [2 and I4.

Apiece'of leather put into the machine, with the grain surface against the spindle, after passing downwardly between the ball l6 and spindle I8, first contacts the guide 56 which is mounted on an upright 52, the upright being sufficiently fiexibleso as to allow any desired or necessary bending action or relative motion "between this guide and adjacent parts. The guide, in turn, delivers the'strip of leather or the like to a horizontal roller 54 adjacent the roller 46 which is mounted on a shaft 44 and which is also adjacent the cooperating roller 58 mounted on the shaft 66. These rollers 46, 48, 54 and 5B are all driven by a series of intermeshing gears 62 as best shown in Figure 3. The lower rollers 48 and 58 are mounted in movable bearings 64 and 66 and 5). Similar supporting springs for the plates 12 and 14 are mounted adjacent the inner wall I4 as indicated in Figure 1. This allows of a desired relative motion between these horizontal flexing rollers and automatically provides for different thicknesses of leather.

The guide 50 has a flat surface to correspond with the surface of the adjacent roller 54, and the strip of leather in passing between the guide 50 and this roller 54 is flexed in a difierent direction from the flexing which occurs during the passage of the leather between the ball I6 and the spindle I8. In other words, when the piece or strip of leather is first introduced between the ball I6 and the spindle I8 with its grain face toward the spindle, it is flexed around what might be termed its longitudinal axis or in a direction parallel to its length. Then, as the leather passes downwardly through the machine, it first contacts the element 50 and is then forced between this element and the roller 54 which imparts a bend in the strip of leather which bend is transverse to its longitudinal axis, and it is between this longitudinal and transverse flexing where a third or intermediate flexing stage occurs. This third or intermediate stage is a necessary result of the transition betwen a bending on a curve in which the longitudinal axis is located and a bending in such a direction that the longitudinal axis itself is curved or distorted. At the intermediate point, the first curve is removed and the second curve instigated, and just at this intermediate point, there exists a stage where the leather for an infinitesimal distance, or along a line, is perfectly flat. Obviously, the strip of. leather when finally emerging from the last rollers is againfiat for all practical purposes with perhaps a slight tendency to curl. This slight tendency to curl is an advantage because it adapts the leather for application to a shoe. The following rollers 46 and 48 merely serve to take out any undesirable amount of curl from the leather or other stock and also act as delivery rollers.

It hasvbeen found in practice that passage 01 a piece of leather stock or the like such as an outsole or tap through this machine in such fashion that the grain face is put under a temporary natural tension produces an increased movement of the fibers of the leather beneath the grain surface which is obtainable only when these two sets of operations are simultaneous in at least one step of the process. The usual pieces of leather ordinarily flexed in this machine are from six to twelve inches long, and after the first three to four inches have passed between the ball and spindle, and the remainder is following, the guide and cylinder rolls are already engaging the first portion of the piece and effecting a third and intermediate flexing not possible in the ball and spindle or in the cylinder rolls or guide and not otherwise created on any flat surfaced rollers.

It is obviously possible to repeat this flexing operation if desired in the same or a following machine of similar type whenever greater flexibility is desired, as repetition of the process is productive of increased softness. It will also be evident that instead of the element I6 being made in the form of a sphere, it may be made ellipsoidal or some other shape Where occasion arises or necessity demands, and the socket or spindle I8 is, of course, thereupon of a corresponding contour.

The entire action of this apparatus may be compared to a pulling or stretching of the piece of leather onto and about a spherical surface whereby the outer, or grain face, is flexed and stretched, and whereby the inner, or flesh face, is compressed and also flexed, but not to so great an extent as the grain.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A flexing machine, including in combination, elements for bending a piece of material about one axis, and then bending it about another axis, said elements including a cooperating ball and spindle, a guide and a roller adjacent thereto, an adjustable resilient -mounting for the spindle, a resilient support for the guide, and a resiliently mounted roller adapted to cooperate with the roller adjacent the guide.

2. A flexing machine, including in combination, elements for bending a piece of material about one axis, and then bending it about another axis, said elements including a cooperating ball and spindle, a guide and a roller adjacent thereto, an adjustable resilient mounting for the spindle, a resilient support for the guide, and a resiliently mounted roller adapted to cooperate with the roller adjacent the guide, together with a second set of rollers adjacent the first-named rollers for feeding and additionally straightening the material.

3. A flexing machine, including in combination, elements for bending a piece of material about one axis, and then bending it about another axis, said elements including a cooperating ball and spindle, a guide and a roller adjacent thereto, an adjustable resilient mounting for the spindle, a resilient support for the guide,

and a resiliently mounted roller adapted to co- 5 operate with the roller adjacent the guide, together with a second set of rollers adjacent the first-named rollers for feeding and additionally straightening the material, and resilient mountings for one of said second set of rollers.

EARLE WILSON. 

